What Made You Get Into Gold Detecting?

Interested to see what it was that led people down the path of getting into gold detecting.

For me, it was something my dad used to do before he passed away. I told myself maybe one day I might take it up, but family, work, mum with bad dementia & then moving from SA to Vic & getting promoted saw it go off the agenda. Then along came Aussie Gold Hunters which I guess reignited it, so here I am!

Health scares also saw me move a bit faster as well, since we are guaranteed nothing in this life.

What was it got you there?

I remember going with my grandfather up behind his house in quarry hill bendigo after rain,he would speck gold and place it in his bex bottle.
That was it for me,always been a sucker for the tiddler


cheers   moredeep

Built one of these just for fun in 1980...  and headed straight to Wedderburn

...right at the peak of aluminium pull-off (and throw into leaf litter) rings

Always being one for adventure, I suppose the interest was always there from the beginning & after hearing/reading so much on gold discoveries & the people that discovered it, got me fired up enough, to take on the hobby of metal detecting for gold. As the years went past though, I soon realised, it were more the thrill of the adventure/hunt, chasing that elusive "golden ointment" in amongst nature out in the scrub, together with the knowledge/memories gained over the years, was gold in itself.
You are right about one thing fwdoz, there are no guarantees in life, enjoy it while you've got it, for life owes us nothing.

Cheers Kon.

I lived half way between Wangaratta and Beechworth as a kid, had rello's all over the NE gold areas. I had a school teacher in state school who would get us to dolly up the quartz from his weekend gold mine and also would travel past the Eldorado gold dredge each day during the bus trip to secondary school.  So would play at panning in creeks and rivers, but never got much more than a speck or two.  When older and had more time & $$, I added detectors to the arsenal.

Love the varied response....always interesting to know how people got started or what lit the flame in them.

Really good stories!

A long story that started as an obsession with electronics when young.Built my first detector which was a complete failure.After having kids my son picked up a $20 detector in Tandy electronics in the bargain bin.We promptly went out and hit a nearby old school yard and found a penny at 1" deep(Amazing depth!).
I then went out and bought a whites 5000D and hit the ground again doing pretty well until meeting a polish fellow with a minelab sovereign.He always talked about the goldfields in Vic and actually found a 10g nugget with his sovereign in a riverbed.
This resulted in many trips to Vic finding gold with our then 2100's.On the last trip 2010 quit my job in NSW and became a full time prospector here in the magic triangle.Sadly my mate passed away fairly young,a very interesting character.I give him credit for introducing me to gold and beach detecting.
Steve

I would love to become a full time prospector Deutran...the number of times I have lay awake at night dreaming of it...

I think you'll save a lot of money by dreaming fwdoz,pretty hard making a living from detecting these days.
Lots of private properties needed,deals with the owners,costs etc,sorry to pop your night bubble fantasy   ,no harm in dreaming though


cheers   moredeep

I know moredeep, but please dont steal the dream!

A bit like the dream I had of owning a property with trout lakes.

Never know, if I were arsey enough to get a big find anything is possible. But just happy to find a little bit of glitter to be honest.

Dreams are for pursuing don't let them fade away.Think it,I'm a believer in positive thinking.
When I detect I'm always hoping/thinking/wishing/dreaming for that whopper


cheers    moredeep

Just like the nice trout about to snaffle my fly drifting downstream...

If you think negative, negative is what you will get. Being out & active is what its all about. Plenty of beauty to see & be amongst. Any fish or speck of gold is a bonus...

Fwdoz I think you will find success in your endeavor.Plenty of like minded people on this forum.

I guess my grand father and Uncle (On mums side) who were gold miners triggered an interest from a very early age with their stories of gold and showing me rocks and stuff that they had found. Plus I grew up in the bush. Anyway here I am many years later after trooping through the bush, gold fields and Gippsland Ranges and other places, many worn out boots later, still loving the bush and out doors. As for metal detecting for gold, that began later in 1960 while living in Korong Vale. Plenty of big nuggets ( well one or two) were being ploughed up in the paddocks then and my interest in electronics caused me to think that maybe a ww2 mine detector that I spotted in an army disposals shop could find a nugget or three. Everything kind of snowballed from then onwards.

A lady began selling Garrett Deepseekers from home near by and being a bush lover decided to give it a go. On my second trip to Meekatharra area (Chesterfield) picked up two species which returned 1 1/2ozs of AU. Was hooked! Later upgraded too the Groundhog and spent every chance available to tramp around the WA goldfields.
It's not all good though, a 6 week trip on my own stretching from Nullagine to Wiluna, detected day in and out and even during full moon and not one speck did I find, when the few I met along the way raved how great the Groundhog was. Upgraded to a Whites vSat and the game began, gold kept jumping out of the ground at me. (Have sometimes thought the Groundhog must have become faulty and could only detect shotgun pellets.)
The rest is history, love the solitude and the chance to come close to the flora and fauna and of course finding a nugget now and then.
This year has been very disappointing, both my lovely lady and I keen to get away with her Dyson (SDC) and my Beast (GPZ) but a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) back in November 2019 has put a hold on a trip. Nine months and I'm still in agony when attempting to sit or crouch. DR just keeps saying I'll be very happy when the pain passes.

After nine months the pain should be done and dusted, maybe just stiffness remaining .
Mine is a bit achy in th cold mornings(after two years) but I can walk on it without pain. Can even do one leg squats on it...well a couple anyway. You should be continuing your own rehab exercises. I was off the pain killers after 21 days and now just stuff in a couple of "panadol extra" now and again.
Would like to get the Doc to prescribe some endone now and again for my ratshit back and other knee, but no not a chance....Don't know why they bother making that stuff if they won't prescribe it

The stories are fantastic...all varied & thats why I created this topic as it gives an insight into what we have all been through from start to today...

Nightjar my back & your knee could share some stories. I have had 17 years rest & my back is as good as it is gonna get. Your knee will get there & you will be clocking up the kms like you were a teenager.